Half of the Egyptian league clubs will disappear within ten years and we may see Al-Ahly fan chairing Zamalek

Four major institutions comprising of Egyptian, Arab, and foreign investors seek to acquire Egyptian clubs in the first football league, according to Amr Mostafa Kamel, investment sports expert.

Kamel told Daily News Egypt that these institutions have already begun to search for ways invest with Egyptian clubs in the 2019/2020 season.

He noted that the Egyptian sports arena is witnessing major changes. “I hope officials are aware of that,” he said, adding that sports before 2018 is different from nowadays.

Moreover, Kamel explained that in the last 20 years, money won competition, while 50 years ago, talent was everything.

Yet, now, he says that investment-able clubs will reach good ranking and unlock achievements.

He pointed out that the new sports investments have become much higher than the capacity of the popular clubs.

He noted that Pyramids experiment is a major shift for Egyptian football, but people should follow what happens next, noting that Egyptian, Arab, and foreign investors are thinking about investing in Egyptian sports.

“Four major institutions will control the clubs in Egypt during the 2019/2020 season. If their transaction is concluded, they will lead the league with Pyramids. Their goal is to support the industry, develop it, and make profit. The Egyptian league will be very different,” he said.

Additionally, he predicted that within ten years, half of the league’s clubs will disappear, while new ones will emerge. The new clubs will be popular when they sign up stars and generate achievements, supported by huge financial capacity.

Kamel said that the new sports law was issued last year, yet, no private club has sought a license to establish clubs according to the law, given that people who want to invest want to play in the first league, while the law puts them on the fourth division.

However, Kamel says that within five or six years, all of this will change as all the clubs will have adjusted to the new situation or new clubs will be launched.

He explained that in the last ten years, a major resources shift for clubs has happened, starting with Al-Ahram Advertising Agency and the emergence of Presentation, which ended an era when sponsorships and broadcasting rights deals were very limited.

He pointed out that the Egyptian Premier League will see a big leap, it will become much stronger than it is, and we will see international players due to a large investment.

“The beginning is establishing the clubs, then the feeding industries, such as agency, broadcasting, and youth,” he said, adding, “the Professional Clubs Association is a good start that is going well. It is something we have long sought.”

He explained that some elements of football are profitable, while the unprofitable parts will turn to be profitable in the coming years.

Kamel stressed that the era of belonging in football has ended. “Reda Abdel Aal was a shift in the era of professional football players in the history of Egypt, as it was the first fight between Al Ahly and Zamalek. Abdullah Al-Saeed signing for Zamalek was another big move, even though it was not completed, its consequences are very big,” he added.

He noted that it is no longer acceptable to talk about belonging now, as it is possible within years to find an Al Ahly fan as the president of the Zamalek football company, or vice versa. “All of this must happen, as imposed by the new order.”